8 Places In India That Will Take You Back In Time

Everybody loves the idea of time travel, to be able to see the past glory and what secret the future holds since no one invented the time travel yet let’s check out some awesome places we have listed for you to experience the closest thing to traveling back in time. Places in India that will take you back in time are the best places to see their ancient glory and the sculptures of the past dynasties.

There’s something about the oldies that is absolute, undeniably charming. Do you catch yourself humming Khoya Khoya Chand more often than Chaar Botal Vodka? Do you still reminisce about the old Cartoon Network and totally hate the new one? Like wine and scotch that get better with time passing, the following places have that old world charm that keeps enhancing with every tick of the clock. So, what are you waiting for, step into the time machine and strap on for a good ride.

Places In India That Will Take You Back In Time

Forget about time machines, visit these spectacular places in India that can transport you to an era long forgotten. These are the places to visit in India to know the historic importance and its culture.

1.Badami Cave Temples, Karnataka:

The Badami cave temples are located at Badami, a town in the Bagalkot District in the northern Karnataka, India. They are located 110 km north-east of Hubli-Dharwad.

They are a complex of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist temples dating back to the 6th century to 8th century considered an example of Indian rock-cut architecture, famously for Badami Chalukya Architecture.

These cave temples are the earliest known Hindu cave temples, some of the caves are the result of sandstone formation. These caves contain various sculptures of Hindu Divinities and themes. The Nataraja (Thandava dance of Lord Shiva) carving is prominent among all the other carvings. The epigraphy written in Kannada language dating back to 6th century can be seen on the walls of these caves. It is listed as a UNESCO world heritage center, all of the temples and statues inside and the inscriptions are carved out of the hard rock of the hill.

2.Hampi, Karnataka:

Hampi is an ancient village located in Bellary district of Karnataka state, located on the banks of the River Tungabhadra. It is 74kms from Bellary and 353kms from Bangalore.

Hampi village is listed in UNESCO world heritage, the Brahmi inscriptions and terracotta seal suggest that this place is dated back to the 3rd century during the period of Maurya empire. But it becomes famous during the period of Vijayanagara Empire during 1343 to 1565, as it served as the capital city of the Vijayanagara empire.

The site is significant historically and architecturally. The landscape abounds with large stones which have been used to make statues of Jain deities and other Hindu deities. The principal industries of the village are agriculture, the support of the Virupaksha temple and some other local holy places in the vicinity, as well as tourism. The annual Hampi Utsav or “Vijaya Festival” has been celebrated since the reign of Vijayanagara. It is organized by the Government of Karnataka as Nada Festival.

3.Dilwara Temples, Rajasthan:

Dilwara temples from Rajasthan date back to 11 the century to 13th century AD built by Jains are perfection example of architectural perfection, they are world famous for usage of marbles in the early times and how they mastered the art of marble carving.

They have located about 21/2 km away from Mount Abu. These Dilwara temples consist of five legendary marble temples, these are the sacred place for Jains.

The Five Legendary Temples are

Vimal Vasahi, dedicated to the first Jain Tirthankara, Rishabha.

Luna Vasahi, dedicated to the 22nd Jain Tirthankara, Neminatha.

Pithalhar, dedicated to the first Jain Tirthankara, Rishabha.

Parshvanath, dedicated to the 23rd Jain Tirthankara, Parshvanatha.

Mahavir Swami, dedicated to the last Jain Tirthankara, Mahavira

The Vimal Vasahi and Luna Vasahi are the famous among all the five temples. Regular prayers are performed in all these temples by the Jains. People from many places come to visit these temples to see the excellent marble carvings.

4.Konark Sun Temple, Orissa:

Located in Puri district of Orissa state, this temple was built by King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty around AD 1250. The temple was constructed in the shape of a gigantic chariot with huge carved wheels, pillars and walls to symbolize the sun god & all of them are carved from rocks. A major part of the structure is now in ruins, but the reasons are not specified in the history. The temple is listed under UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 and has a unique impressive architecture from the early times.

Konark Sun temple is located 65kms away from Bhubaneshwar and 35kms from Puri district. Konark is an exceptional mixture of marvelous temple architecture, heritage, exotic beach and salient natural beauty. The large structure of Konark Temple seen today is actually the entrance of the main temple. The main temple which enshrined the presiding deity has fallen off and only the remains can be seen. Even in its ruined state, it is a magnificent temple reflecting the mastermind of the architects that imagined and constructed it.

Main Attractions

The main temple structure and the geometrical patterns all around the temple

The carved wheels and the spokes of the wheel which serve as sun dials

Architectural figures including the war horses, the elephants and the guarding lions at the entrance

The Nata Mandir (Dancing Hall)

Three images of Sun God at three directions of the temple to catch the rays of the Sun at dawn, noon and sunset

The various images of deities, dancers, musicians, elephants and mythical creatures

The second level of the temple structure which showcases the famous erotic sculptures

The Sun temple museum run by Archaeological Survey of India

The Nava Graha (Nine Planets) Temple.

5.Gandikota Fort, Andhra Pradesh:

Gandikota is a village located in Kadapa District of Andhra Pradesh State. It is 13 km away from the place Jamalamadugu. Amidst the wild forest and deep valleys lies the Gandi Kota Fort built in 13th century, by the Pemmasani Kings, Surrounded by a deep valley and impassable hills & with massive boulders of red granite and the river Pennar that flows about 300 ft. below on the west and northern sides, its location affords strong natural defence to the occupants of the Fort.

The fort has two ancient temples of Lord Madhava and Raganatha Swamy. It also includes a large granary, a magazine, a graceful ‘pigeon tower’ with fretted windows and an extensive palace built by bricks with some plastered decorations and some wells. They are in ruins and the fort area is full of the debris of ages and many ancient structures in varying stages of decay.

Indian Great Canyon

There is also a canyon formed by the Pennar river that cuts through the Eramalla hills. This handsome piece of Nature’s architecture has come to be known as the Hidden Grand Canyon of India by travelers who visit it and get bewitched by its beauty.

For once, it houses the Indian version of Grand Canyon that, over the coming years, might be giving serious competition to its Arizona counterpart owing to its breathtaking beauty. And the best part, this small, offbeat village has not yet been commercialized, which means you’re not likely to find noisy crowds of tourists photo bombing your selfies and garbage littered about everywhere.

6.Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh:

Varanasi also was known as Benaras, also known as Kashi, is one of the oldest living cities in the world. It is located on the banks of River Ganga in Uttar Pradesh. It is the spiritual capital city of India. The temples in this city are dated back to 11 th century. It is believed that some of the temples are older.

Varanasi is famous for temples and the river Ghats. This city contains more than 20,000 temples, among them the Kashi Vishwanath temple of Lord Shiva, Sankat Mochan temple of Hanuman, and the Durga temple is famous.

It has also had 84 Ghats, most of which are used for bathing by pilgrims and spiritually significant Hindu puja ceremony, while a few are used exclusively as Hindu cremation sites. The Dashashwamedh Ghat, the Manikarnika Ghat, the Panchganga Ghat, and the Harishchandra Ghat, are major Ghats where Hindus cremate their dead. Many ghats are associated with Hindu legends and several are now privately owned.

7.Patan, Gujarat:

Patan is an ancient fortified town dating back to 745 AD, despite all this time very much of the town wells, Inner Fort and much more architecture are well preserved.

It is located 110km away from the state capital Ahmedabad. It has a railway station in the same town which makes easy to travel directly to Patan town.

There are many tourist attractions including forts, vavs (step wells), talavs (lakes) and places of worship. The main tourist attractions are the Rani ki Vav (World Heritage Site) and patola saris.

The remains of the Old City of Patan are a very small portion of Old Fort near Kalka on the outskirts of the New City is of historical and archeological importance. So is the case with the remains of the walls of the new fort and the Darwajas (gates) of the new fort which is fast disappearing.

8.Dzongu, Sikkim:

Dzongu is a triangular region in north Sikkim. It is bounded by the Teesta River in the southeast, Tholung Chu River in the north-east and by mighty mountains in the west. It borders the Kangchenjunga Biosphere Reserve.

Dzongu has been established as an official reserve for the Lepcha people, the aboriginal inhabitants of Sikkim. The Lepchas have strong ties with nature and have lived here for centuries. An understanding of their culture, customs and language help to foster an appreciation of the beautiful mountains, deep forests, and the emerald-colored Teesta River.

Dzongu is about 70 Km from the state capital, Gangtok. It is easily reachable by road. Permission from Sikkim Government is required to enter Dzongu. One can obtain permission from the Tourism office in Gangtok or one in Delhi. Tour operators can arrange the permits before reaching Sikkim.

What you are thinking, just pack your bags get on the road and visit these ancient places before they become more ruined or extinct.